The Labyrinth
by Her Madjesty
Summary: When Killian Jones returns to port in Storybrooke, he shakes the Continent to its core. With the help of a rag tag team of townsfolk, he intends to ensnare the one man who's plagued him for his entire life. Intentions, however, have a tendency to become skewed.


_A/N Hullo! Welcome to the Labyrinth and all its awesome wonders. One of those wonders includes a Killian Jones with two working hands. I hope you all enjoy what's coming for you. Love! Xo Characters not mine._

_General information: Storybrooke, in this story, is a town on a mysterious Continent, connected to other cities and towns as though it was part of the same land as the Enchanted Forest. Let me know if it's not clear. Thanks!_

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><p>"Have you heard?" A bawdy girl flounced herself down at the table, mug in hand. The inn around her was full to the brim, bustling with the cheers and whispers.<p>

"What now?" The woman's bespeckled friend chuckled. "Hear a juicy rumor while you were pacing the floor?"

"I always do." The woman scoffed, pulling herself in close. "And today, I've heard a good one." Her eyes shifted about the room, and a mischievous grin came over her face.

"Captain Hook is on his way back to Storybrooke."

The bespeckled man sputtered. "You can't be serious." He said, wiping froth away from his chin. "He hasn't been here in years! The Nolan sisters were debating on whether or not they should put his house up for auction just yesterday!"

"That's what they say." The girl said saucily, shrugging. "And who am I to argue with indisputable fact?"

"'Fact'." The bespeckled man snorted. "Captain Hook is not coming back to Storybrooke. Pigs would sooner fly. You don't even have any proof!"

"Of course you'd focus on that." The woman huffed. "How am I supposed to get any? I'm working here all night." She took a drink of the mead in her mug, then continued. "All I know is that someone saw the Jolly Roger out towards the entrance to the bay. Her flags haven't changed, even after all this time."

"Then someone is trying to get the town riled up." The bespeckled man scoffed, pushing his spectacles back up his nose. "It has been years, Ruby. Years. There is nothing here to bring that man back anymore, and we'd all be better off if he never returned."

A moment passed, and the noise in the inn flowed over the duo. The bespeckled man took a deep drink from his mug.

Abruptly, the door to the inn blew open, and a man in a ragged shirt and bright red hat tumbled in. The woman turned her head, eyebrows raised.

"Mind your step, lads and lasses!" The raggedy man shouted, swinging the door open wide. "The Jolly Roger is back in port!"

A great cheer rose from a group of patrons as the pirates rolled into the establishment. The young woman threw her friend a victorious glance, and laughed long and hard as he started to choke on his drink.

Captain Hook himself appeared last amongst his crew, swaggering in behind the rest. Flashing white teeth and gold coins, he summoned a swarm of admirers around him. The crew around him loitered and leered, bellowing at the serving woman to bring a round of mead, and be quick about it.

"I told you so." The young woman sang, dipping her head towards her friend.

"I cannot believe this." The bespeckled man groaned, resting his head on the table. "This is the last thing we need right now."

The woman made a dismissive noise and stood, returning to the counter and grinning at the woman behind it.

"Want some help, Snow?" She asked. The other woman's eyes had gone wide when the pirates arrived, and now a tray balanced with mead rested uneasily in her hands.

"Yes, please!" Snow pleaded. "Can you take them this round?"

"Yes, ma'am." The woman said with a grin. "Should be a fun night."

"Stay out of trouble, Ruby." Snow called, turning her back as Ruby flounced away.

"Never." The woman smirked, making her way to the table.

XXX

Captain Hook sat amongst his crew, laughing loudly over pints of mead. He popped the cap of his own personal affects and took a sip of the sugared rum they had relieved the Greater Continent of.

"One more round, lass!" He bellowed, winking at the leggy brunette who walked passed.

"Sure thing, Captain." She said, returning the wink. The Captain preened, smiling wickedly at the woman and at his crew, who guffawed.

"This is the last round on me, boys." The Captain said, as the brunette refilled their mugs. "I'll have to depart from the pleasure of your company early tonight. There is business to attend to tomorrow!"

"Yeah, 'business'." One of his men scoffed, raising his mug in the Captain's direction. "To Captain Hook, greatest captain this side of the ocean!"

The crew cheered, and Hook threw back his mug, smiling through the foam.

XXX

The Captain stumbled out into the night not long after, the inn roaring with noise behind him. Stars winked at him as he walked back towards docks.

Storybrooke had been naught but a memory to him for the past five years, maybe more, if his calendars were off. Her docks remained the same under his boot, though, and Captain Hook strode on them with confidence, if not the smallest twinge of nostalgia in his too-blue eyes.

"Alms, sir. Alms, please." A small voice called, somewhere near his knee. The Captain glanced down to see the urchin, all curly hair and dimples. With a grunt, he passed the boy a golden coin, and continued on his way.

The boy stared after him, eyes wide with wonder.

The Captain ignored the besmirched young man, wood creaking beneath his feet. A set of stairs still remained imbedded in the hill by the docks, after all this time, and he took them two at a time.

The Jolly Roger was far more his home than a small house over the docks, but it was to the house that Killian went first. The lock creaked as he inserted the key, and the wooden door groaned as he shoved it forward.

The house was dark and silent.

"Just like I left you." The pirate said softly, taking hesitant steps into his old home.

A feather mattress, relieved from some overstuffed lord early in his career, lay hidden in one of the darkened rooms. Stray jewels lay across the floor, and a scattering of glass carpeted the wood.

An unopened wine bottle sat on the table, though the Captain studiously ignored it. Underneath it was a map, its edges starting to fray.

That, the Captain could not ignore. He moved the bottle with a smirk and traced rough hands over the parchment.

Dark red X's were marked over various islands and ports along the great Continent and her conquests. In the time he had been gone, the Captain had seen them all, pillaged more than one, and taken a woman in each.

Now, Storybrooke called him back, with his final manner of business to complete here.

To where all of his adventures began.

A short walk down an empty hall led to the room with the mattress. Hook threw himself down and stared up at the wooden ceiling, tracing the wooden boards with tired eyes.

No woman would share his bed tonight, nor the many nights to come. It was a pity, truly, but he didn't mind too much.

Sleep did not come easily, though it claimed the Captain none the less.

Business would wait until morning.

XXXXX

Dawn broke early in Storybrooke.

Snow White rose with the sun, walking amongst the awakening town with ease. She smiled, walking over the bridge that gave way to the greater marketplace.

Many of the town's were residents already out and about their daily business. One man, in particular, looked thoroughly engrossed in the goings on of the day. Snow White acknowledge him, then moved on.

Said man, hood obscuring his face, peered out and upward towards the horizon. He offered it a cunning smirk, and then moved on as well.

He loitered about the street, watching as the blacksmith stirred her coals and went about setting a piece. Next to her, a tanner went to work, scraping fur off of a hide.

Sawdust filled the air not much farther down the street, and the stranger's eyes watered with the mass of it. A strange, bespeckled man was at work, throwing himself across a cross section of wood.

The stranger took note of the man's name on his sign, and then moved on.

XXX

"Have you heard?" Snow White lifted her head and greeted Ruby Lucas with a smile. The girl bounced through the crowd and over to her side, falling into step beside the smaller woman.

Nearby, the hooded stranger balanced an apple in his hand, listening in.

"They brought some sort of criminal into the stocks last night." Ruby whispered, ducking her head. "Caught her trying to steal some of the coins from Regina's vault just outside of town."

"No!" Snow White's eyes went wide. She moved her head closer to Ruby's. "She had to be furious when she found out! Why would anyone want to steal from her?"

"Personally, I don't think the thief was after the coin." Ruby whispered conspiratorially. "You know what they say about your sister. Better than most of us, actually." The woman offered her friend an apologetic smirk. "Everyone thinks she's involved with some terrible dark magic, out there in the woods. She's rarely seen in town, unless she's got something to sell. But she's still got the vault, right here with us in the middle of nowhere. It's a bit suspicious."

"Regina does do some questionable things." Snow White admitted reluctantly. "And I agree, she has some odd habits. But that doesn't mean the magic she practices is all dark and awful. Some of it's good!"

Ruby looked less than convinced, but nodded in agreement.

"But who is this woman thief, though?" Snow White asked, gently changing the topic. "If they've got her in the stocks, this can't be her first offense."

Ruby's eyes brightened, and she smirked again. "It's Emma Swan." She said. "First time anyone's actually seen her in years. It's a happy coincidence Regina was in her vault at the time. Otherwise, the woman might have made off with whatever she wanted!"

"No! Emma Swan?" Snow White balked. "I've heard all sorts of things about her. Apparently her parents abandoned her when she was only a few days old. She fell in with a group of thieves, according to the rumors."

"I think they're more than rumors." Ruby huffed, picking up a pear and examining it carefully. "She's one of the best on the Continent. It's like she can disappear right out from under people. To be surprised, if she had been robbing anyone else last night, I doubt they would have caught her."

"Regina is rather—" Snow White struggled to find the right word, shuffling her basket in her arms. "Intimidating."

"Only a little." Ruby rolled her eyes. She set the pear back and continued to walk. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know. Will you be coming by the inn later?"

"I might, as long as your Granny doesn't make me work." Snow White said with a laugh. "David's out on a trip again, so I could use the company."

"I'll look for you!" Ruby said cheerfully, pulling ahead. "Bye, Snow!"

"Have a good day, Ruby." Snow White said with a smile, turning away.

XXX

The stranger ducked his head and moved away, mentally adding two more names to his list. He took a bite of the apple, eyes gleaming beneath his hood.

More townsfolk began to flock to the streets. The stranger kept his head low, eyes on the dirt as he went. He passed the butcher and the baker, two men he knew by smell more than he knew in person.

The short woman in front of him nearly went unnoticed. He would have run her over completely had she not let out a squeak of surprise.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, I should have been looking where I was going."

"It's alright." The stranger coughed, keeping his face to the ground. He caught a glimpse of a basket in the woman's hands. "What are you selling?"

"Oh, just some seeds from my garden." The woman said with a shrug. "It's not enough to make a living, and I have to work at the inn to make up for it. I've always loved plants, though, and I like to share that with others."

The stranger raised his eyes, his interest perked. "Sharing what you love with others is a noble thing." He said with a nod. "What's your name, lass?"

"Snow White." The woman said with a smile. "Have a good day, sir!"

"You, as well." The stranger nodded, continuing on his way. He grinned beneath his hood, adding the final name to his list.

He began his walk out of the market, humming quietly to himself. His morning deluge into Storybrooke had been far more successful than he had ever imagined.

Captain Hook pulled the hood off his head and smiled, taking the steps back up to the house above the docks at a rapid pace.

So his work began.

XXX

The invitations began to arrive two days later.

XXX

Archibald Hopper was the first to receive an invitation.

"Ruby?" He called, barging into the inn covered with sweat and dust. "Did you send this?"

"Send what?" Ruby's voice carried from the inn's kitchen. Archie stormed into the small room and glowered, ignoring Granny's flabbergasted snort.

"There was a letter on my door." Archie told her, leaning back against a wooden cabinet. "Real fancy thing. I thought you might have left it as some sort of trick."

"I did no such thing!" Ruby replied hotly, turning her head to pout in Archie's direction. "Open the damned thing, Archie, and you'll see." She returned her attention to the pie crust beneath her fingers, kneading it fiercely. "There's no use trying to stare through the thing."

Archie snorted and tore into the fine paper, fishing the contents from its package.

He read the letter silently. The wrinkles on his brow, already there in his young age, grew deeper.

"It's an invitation." He said after a moment. "From K. Jones, in the house over the docks. He wants me to come and have dinner with him."

Ruby turned sharply, her eyebrow arched high. "Sorry?" She asked, abandoning the pie. "K. Jones? As in-"

"Captain Hook." Archie sighed, glowering at the paper. "Going by his proper name, or so it seems. What kind of trick is this?"

"It wasn't me." Ruby said, wiping her hands on her apron before snatching the letter from Archie's hands. "Even I wouldn't do something like this."

"There have been so many rumors, too." She said, almost beneath her breath. "You remember what they said, when he first showed up."

"They said he was a mad man." Archie said tiredly, folding the invitation and placing it in his pocket. "Of course, the people in this town tend to say that about all newcomers. You remember what they said about you, don't you?"

Ruby offered an unladylike snort. "I believe they said I was a prostitute," she said, grinding her teeth. "And then when you took an interest in me, they said that you were the doctor assigned to 'cure' me."

Archie chuckled despite himself. "The people here aren't right about everything." He said. "They weren't right about us, and they might not be right about him."

"You are _not _defending Captain Hook." Ruby snickered, punching the man lightly in the arm. "I never thought I'd see the day! The world must be ending!"

"Oh, shut up." Archie grumbled, shoving the woman away.

"So you're going, then?" The woman laughed, dancing out of her friend's reach.

"I think so." Archie said. "Just to see what everything looks like."

Ruby shrugged and rolled her eyes, glancing between the man and her pie for just a moment. "Take my knife." She said firmly, leaning down to peck Archie's cheek. "Can't have you getting hurt, now can I?"

"If you insist." Archie chuckled, blushing furiously.

XXX

Snow White let the opened invitation sit on the table for a week without paying attention to it. As foolish as it was, she hoped that the thing would disappear, or that the mysterious sender would reveal himself and tell her it was all a misunderstanding, and that the letter was supposed to be addressed to her husband.

Nothing of the sort occurred. Days later, Snow White placed the letter in her apron and escaped outside, hiding herself in her garden.

Ruby was the one who found her, petting the petals of a peony absentmindedly.

"What's the matter?" Ruby asked, setting down her basket.

Wordlessly, Snow White took the letter from her apron and passed it to her friend. Ruby's eyes widened at the sight, and she passed it back without reading a word.

"Archie received one, too." She said, her tones hushed. "Neither of us know what's going on, but he's decided to go."

"I'm not sure what I should do." Snow White choked out. "I know the stories aren't true, but what if he's dangerous?"

"All men are dangerous." Ruby said with a huff. "But if it comes to danger, Archie will be there. I've insisted on having him take my knife. He'll keep you safe, or he'll have me to deal with when he comes back."

Snow White let out a hopeless laugh, keeping her attention on her flowers.

"What could he possibly want with us?" she asked.

Ruby said nothing, but placed her arm around Snow White's shoulder. "How will you know if you don't ask him yourself?" She asked.

Snow White glared at her, but Ruby laughed.

"I wonder if he'll let me bring Regina, at least." Snow White said with a huff, gathering herself together.

"Regina?" Ruby asked, startled out of her laughter. "You'd want to bring her?"

"I'd feel safer with her around." Snow White grumbled. "We may not get along all the time, Ruby, but we are sisters. Family watches out for each other."

"I guess." Ruby twirled her hair nervously. "But you'll want her around even if she's doing all that—magic, and such?"

"Yes." Snow White said firmly, standing to brush the dirt off her apron. "In fact, I think I'll write to her now."

XXX

Two letters arrived for Regina Mills later that week. She ignored both of them.

The potion she was working on required all of her attention, and she couldn't ruin everything over one little social call. She resided out of sight for a reason, and that was to avoid such trivial things.

But then a third letter arrived. And then a fourth, a day after. And then a fruit basket.

Regina tried her best to ignore _that_. Try as she might, however, she was only human.

Taking everything inside, she bit fiercely into one of the apples and tore into a letter, starting to read.

It was an intriguing project, she'd give this mystery man that. The fruit basket rested on her table while she thought, its supply of apples slowly dwindling.

It was clear that this man had shared far more of his desires with her than he had with the other members of this little party. Naturally, her little sister received an invitation as well, and Snow White came panicking to _her_ for help. Regina scoffed, but tucked her sister's letter alongside the one from Mr. K. Jones.

Carefully, she began to pack a travel bag. Her potion may flounder, but it was clear there was something more interesting to be had at.

Perhaps it was time to return to her home town in a more permanent manner.

XXX

A man arrived for Emma Swan on the last day of July. The guard outside her jail cell let him in reluctantly, keys jangling loudly in the otherwise empty hall.

"The infamous Emma Swan." Her visitor said with a smirk. "I was wondering when I'd get to meet you."

Emma glared up at him through a veil of blonde hair. "Glad to be a source of curiosity." She spat. "Now what do you want?"

"Why, you, of course." The man said with a grin.

Emma stared at him, face blank. Then, she rose. The guard outside her cell shifted nervously, but the man in front of her only grinned wider.

"Most men make me dinner before propositioning me." She purred dangerously, bracing herself on the bars by her door.

The man laughed loudly before taking her hand and leading her out of the cell.

"My dear," he said. "That is exactly what I intend to do."


End file.
